Toyota Prius Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 426 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Toyota Prius across 23 model years. The 2010 model year has the most (84). The words owners use most often: “air bags deploy” (14% of reports).
- 426air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 273mention a crash
- 183mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 18%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bags deploy: mentioned in 58 of 426 complaints (14%)
- Airbags deployed: mentioned in 26 of 426 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 290 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 426 complaints, 273 mention a crash, 183 an injury.
Toyota Prius air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Prius | 1 | 17% | — |
| 2024 Prius | 3 | 11% | 3,000 |
| 2022 Prius | 3 | 13% | — |
| 2020 Prius | 1 | 7% | — |
| 2019 Prius | 4 | 13% | 16,443 |
| 2018 Prius | 3 | 8% | 70,000 |
| 2017 Prius | 3 | 3% | 20,500 |
| 2016 Prius | 7 | 5% | 6,250 |
| 2015 Prius | 6 | 4% | 17,750 |
| 2014 Prius | 14 | 7% | 16,255 |
| 2013 Prius | 18 | 4% | 18,000 |
| 2012 Prius | 28 | 7% | 28,500 |
| 2011 Prius | 46 | 9% | 65,145 |
| 2010 Prius | 84 | 3% | 60,500 |
| 2009 Prius | 17 | 3% | 52,000 |
| 2008 Prius | 41 | 3% | 64,500 |
| 2007 Prius | 50 | 2% | 82,500 |
| 2006 Prius | 30 | 2% | 70,500 |
| 2005 Prius | 44 | 4% | 65,000 |
| 2004 Prius | 18 | 3% | 73,500 |
| 2003 Prius | 1 | 1% | 160,000 |
| 2002 Prius | 3 | 2% | 11,000 |
| 2001 Prius | 1 | 1% | 84,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive; air bags:side/window
Model years: 2016
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Model years: 2016
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Prius vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015, to June 14, 2016. An air bag inflator manufacturing error may result in the inadvertent partial inflation of the front passenger air bag.
Risk: A front passenger air bag that unintentionally inflates can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0W.
Air bags:side/window
Model years: 2010, 2011, 2012
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Toyota Prius, 2010 and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and 2011-2012 Lexus CT200h vehicles. A weld in the curtain shield air bag inflator may crack causing one or both portions of the inflator to eject into the passenger cabin.
Risk: If either portion of the curtain shield air bag inflator ejects into the passenger cabin, there is an increased risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install retention brackets to the curtain shield air bags, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Service Department at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is Toyota G0U, and Lexus GLJ.
Seats; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Air bags
Model years: 2004, 2005, 2006
Problem: On certain vehicles, due to improper assembly of the air bag inflator, which is used in the side air bag, the curtain shield air bag, and the knee air bag assembly, some inflators were produced with an insufficient amount of the heating agents necessary for proper air bag deployment. In this condition, the expansion force of the gas may be insufficient to properly inflate the air bag when the srs system is activated during a crash.
Risk: This may increase the risk of injury to the occupant in the involved seating position in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the specific srs air bag. The recall began on april 6, 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371, scion at 1-866-548-1851, or lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I was sideswiped and then t-boned by a semi truck on a highway, then spun out into the median. None of the airbags deployed. Driver's side incurred a lot of damage and the car is presumed to be declared totaled
The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while making a left turn at 10 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the vehicle and t-boned the front passenger's side door of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. After the impact, the front…
Brake
the cruise control was inop, technician said it was a clockspring failure, replaced the clockspring with a new part from walmart, then at times, the airbag failure light would come on, paid a technician to replace the replacement clockspring with an new one and the failure stopped, walmart is…
I was driving my 2024 Toyota Prius and was involved in a front-end collision. The impact was strong enough to cause significant front-end damage, but the front airbag did NOT deploy. I was wearing my seatbelt at the time. This is a serious safety concern because the airbag should have deployed in…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Toyota Priuss have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 426 owner complaints about air bags for the Toyota Prius. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Toyota Prius air bags?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Toyota Prius?
The most frequent phrase is “air bags deploy”, in 58 of 426 complaints, followed by “airbags deployed” (26).
Other Toyota Prius problems
- Exterior Lighting problems (3,505)
- Service Brakes problems (2,039)
- Electrical System problems (1,595)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (1,594)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (1,050)
- Service Brakes, Electric problems (817)
- Engine problems (479)
- Structure problems (428)
See all Toyota Prius problems.